Prior to Algerian
independence in 1962, trade unions in Algeria were
structured within regional organizations of French trade
unions.[2]
After independence the General Union of Algerian
Workers (UGTA) became the sole trade union center. The UGTA was linked
with the Front de Libération
nationale; however, in 1989, with constitutional changes and
new laws the UGTA was distanced from the FLN and no longer retained
the position of sole trade union center. Despite this, the UGTA
continues to be, in practice, the only center - with few trade
unions outside its affiliation.

During the Algerian Civil War the trade union
movement was caught in the same violence that killed large numbers
of civilians. Both ICTUR[2]
and Amnesty International[3] report
many deaths of trade union activists, concluding that the reasons
for their deaths are difficult to determine, given the chaotic
times. Reasons range from deaths directly related to union
activities, through to other political issues (such as
fundamentalist views of women teachers), and endemic random
violence.